


This is What You Stand For

by Eva_Swan



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, F/M, Fluff, Post-Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 01:06:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16776568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eva_Swan/pseuds/Eva_Swan
Summary: Foggy left for Christmas, leaving Karen and Matt alone. The two of them thus celebrate Christmas together, and Karen offers Matt a brand new red suit.





	This is What You Stand For

**Author's Note:**

> I received a prompt on Tumblr: "Either karen or foggy buying matt a red suit as a joke, or matt buys himself one." This is my take on it!

"I wish Foggy were here. I wanted to see his face when he'd open the gift I got him."

It was Christmas eve, and Foggy Nelson was in Florida, celebrating with his family. Of course, he had invited Matt and Karen to join them, but they had both refused. They didn't want to impose on them. Foggy had argued Matt was a member of the family, but still, his friend had kept saying no. He had thus stopped trying, when he understood the real reason behind this refusal: Matt wanted some alone time with a certain blonde, even though he would never admit it to him. And Foggy was more than okay with that.

"Fine," he had answered. "Enjoy the holiday, then. I hope I'll find you happy when I get back."  
"I am happy," Matt had objected.  
Foggy had scoffed. "You can do better, Matt. And you will, I know it."

Matt had burst out laughing, knowing all too well what he was referring to, and he had hugged him.

"See you later, pal," Foggy had said.  
"Merry Christmas, Foggy."

And so he was there, in Karen's apartment, having dinner. She had made the first move, arguing that they couldn't spend Christmas alone, it'd be ridiculous. She had promised him the best meal in town, and he had taken her word on that. They were now sitting at a heavily decorated table, all green and red, angels and reindeers and snowmen scattered around. Karen had gone overboard. In her defense, she hadn't hosted a proper Christmas dinner in a while. She wanted to shower Matt with that Christmas spirit.

"What did you get him?" Matt inquired.  
She smirked and blushed. How he loved these flushed cheeks of hers. "A set of knives," she let out.  
Matt chuckled. "A set of knives for Foggy the almost-butcher. Very smooth, Karen."  
"I know, right?" she giggled. 

Matt heaved a sigh. It felt right. This dinner, being in her apartment. It was so casual, something he wasn't exactly used to, and that's what he loved about her. How natural things were with her. He had known love before. Passion, too. Elektra Natchios had left her print on his life, she had scarred his soul, and a part of him would probably love her forever. After all, you never forget your first love. Matt Murdock was no exception. But his love for Karen Page stemmed from daily life. There were no confettis, no fireworks, no sound, no fury. And it felt fantastic, like seating on the beach and watching the sea on a summer day. She was an endless summer day by the sea.

"You know," he said, "I don't miss Foggy that much."  
She frowned, surprised. "You don't?"  
"Not one bit. Because spending Christmas with you is the best gift I could've ever dreamed of."

She bit her lower lip. Her heart was racing. His too. But she remained silent. He didn't know why he had said that. He hadn't thought about it. It just... came out. He started to regret it. Too soon, he thought, scratching the top of his head, until she finally broke the silence.

"Well," she said, "then I think I can throw away your actual present."  
He narrowed his eyes. "Wait, I thought we agreed on a no present clause?"  
She grinned. "I didn't sign any paper, Mr Murdock. You should've known better."

Yes, he should have. Now curiosity and guilt were battling in his head.

"So..." he shyly began. "I believe you mentioned a present?"  
She joined her hands together and rested her chin on them. "I did."  
Matt laughed. "You're gonna make this hard for me, aren't you?"   
"I am," she answered with a knowing smile.   
He cleared his throat and sat straight. "Please, Karen," he said, "shall you hand me the gift you got me, unworthy as I am?"  
Karen couldn't help but laugh. She couldn't keep a straight face when he was using that fancy tone. "I shall," she replied. She got up and urged him to follow her to the Christmas tree. They sat by it, and she handed him a big box. "Here," she said.

Matt took in a deep breath, and shook the present. Karen gave him an amused look and smiled fondly. He truly looked like a ten-year-old. 

Suddenly, he froze. "Is it..."  
She nodded, knowing he had guessed right. "Your suit, yes."  
Matt opened the box and ran his fingers on the fabric. "How..." he said, bewildered.   
"I know people," Karen simply answered. She wasn't going to add anything more, that he knew. "It's probably not gonna be as good as your original one," she continued, "but I figured you could still use it."  
He shook his head. "I can't accept that, Karen. Not now, not after all we've been through."  
Karen knelt in front of him, and put her hand on his. "Listen to me very carefully, Matt. I will never, ever ask you to abandon this for me. You are Matt Murdock, but a part of Matt Murdock is Daredevil. And Daredevil's never been the problem." She could feel his body tense under her fingers. They had to have that talk. "Ever since you told me your secret, I've been nothing but proud of you, Matt," she softly added.  
"How can you be proud of a guy with such darkness in him?" he asked, weakly.  
Karen shrugged, her hand still on this, her thumb drawing circles on his palm. "I guess I know one thing or two about darkness," she conceded. "And I know that there's more to you than this. You don't do what you do because you enjoy causing pain. You do it because you are serving a purpose. You are trying to help, to protect those who can't protect themselves. This is what you stand for. I've always admired that, even when I didn't know you were him. "

He remembered. He would never forget. She had defended him when no one believed in what he did. He had felt her pride and admiration for the Man in the Mask. People like her were the reason he did what he did. And she was the reason he had wanted to put it all behind.

"But this suit... It represents so much pain. I thought I lost you," he said.  
Her other hand brushed his cheek, and she smiled. "You never lost me, Matt. You never will. If anything, I thought I lost you. Worse, I saw you losing yourself, and I couldn't do anything about it. Because it was up to you to get your shit together. And you did." She took in a deep breath and grabbed both his hands in hers. She held on tight. "I want to be by your side, Matt," she said in a whisper, "I can't... I can't have it any other way. I need you in my life."

Matt smiled and placed his hands on hers. How he loved to feel the blood thumping in her veins, its rhythm echoing through his whole being. She always found the words. She always knew how to get through to him, no matter how much he tried to hide from her. 

“You should've been a lawyer, Ms Page,” he cooed, his fingers lacing through hers, gently bringing their hands down.   
She scoffed. "I don't know about that."  
He relished the sound of her laughter, and then a huge grin broke across his face. "Can I give you your gift now?"  
Karen tilted her head. "I thought you didn't get me anything?" she said.   
"I never said such a thing," Matt replied, falsely shocked. "So, may I?"  
She pouted. "You may."

He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and let his hand slid down to the crook of her shoulder, until it was pressed against the nape of her neck. A thousand shivers met his skin. Her breath was erratic, her hearbeats thundering. He gently brushed her lips with his other hand, his fingers drawing the contours of her mouth. Her breath was like fire against his fingertips. His fingers left her lips to nestle in the small of her back, and he pressed his body against hers. Suddenly, he couldn't tell their heartbeats apart. They were beating in unison, each echoing in the ribcage of the other. And his lips were on hers. How long the kiss lasted, he would never know. Human time had been erased, annihilated. There were only their lips gliding over one another, only their tongues dancing, their breaths mingling, the heat spreading to their whole bodies until they caught fire. When they stopped, Karen smiled against his half-opened lips. 

"Very bold of you to think that a kiss would make a good enough gift," she quipped.  
Matt laughed, and pressed a soft kiss on her cheeck. "I guess I deserve that," he admitted.  
Karen took a good look at him, and placed her hands on his chest. "Do you know what I deserve?" she cooed. "To see you in that suit. 'Cause I gotta admit, the things it does to me... Are pretty unholy."  
And all of a sudden, Daredevil's cheeks were crimson. She giggled when she noticed his flushed face. He kissed her some more. "I'm warning you," he said in a raspy voice, "if you're planning on taking it off afterwards, it's gonna take forever."  
She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm a patient woman. I'll just make it worth your while."


End file.
